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CHAPTER XXX\' 149 3. On the screen we see a full stage picture. A few men are sitting about a table; there are perhaps six. All of them are talking. One man gains the attention of the otliers. Interest is centered upon this person; the interest of the spectator as well as the interest of th*^ playei-s. Nothing else is noticed. But at this precise moment the real action that carries on the story is that one of tJiese listeners drops into the pocket of a third man the revolver with which a murder has been done, knowing that presently the police will come. All interest is cen- tered upon xhe man who is speaking. The action will not be noticed. Suddenly the picture changes. Now we see only the coat pocket of the man in the gray suit. As we watch, a hand steals into the picture and drops a pistol into the pocket. Before the hand can be with- drawn, the picture changes back to the full scene again. The speaker is still talking, the men at the table are still listening, but the specta- tors are all looking at the man in the gray suit and note that the man ne.xt him is completing the action of moving his arm away and re- suming his natural position. You cannot help but notice what, in the large scene, would have been an action too casual to attract the at- tention of one person in a hundred. The scene would be written -. 14. Club room —Jack sitting at right of Gregory. Henderson on his right—three others—Gregory speaks—all intensely interested— Jack most of all—Henderson looks about—takes gun from pock- et—leans toward Jack. 15. Bust —of Jack's coat pocket—Henderson's hand comes into pic- ture—drops gun into pocket— 16. Back to No. 14 —Henderson draws away from Jack—Gregory goes on talking. Now the action goes to the outside of the club with the police closing in, and comes back to the interior. The police burst in. There is a search, and Jack, to his surprise, finds the gun is in his pocket. The bust has made it plain how the weapon got there. 4. The bust may be an even smaller action. We see a man seated at a desk. He completes a paper. He reaches forward. Instead of the entire scene we see merely a very small section of the back of the desk. There is a miniature safe set into the central space, and this is fitted with a combination lock. We see him turn the combination. It is all so clear that the combination can be read. It is 3-9-7. The safe door opens. We go back to the larger scene. The man slips the paper into the safe and throws off the combination. Later on when we see another person go to the desk, we know about the safe and can understand what the man is doing. If the plot makes use of the com- bination, we know what the combination is, because we saw the safe opened. This would be written: 23. Library —Pommard at desk, writing—finishes paper—leans for- ward—starts to work on combination. 24. Bust of back of desk showing safe compartment and combina- tion—Pommard's hand works knob—3-9-7—safe opens. 25. Back to big sceiic —Pommard puts paper in safe—closes—rises— exits.